There are few things as bracing as a chill in the autumn air that stings more like the dawn of winter than the twilight of summer. It was a little too soon for such cold winds to blow, but nothing unheard of. The trees were already changing colors too. It was probably set to be an early winter this year, which was alright as far as most folks were concerned. An early winter typically meant a mild winter, and you were not likely to find too many complaining about that.
What you would hear complaint about was the citizens of Britannia wanting to know what happened in their empire. Five days since their capital came under dual attacks and the most they were hearing from official sources was that there had been an attack by unknown assailants, likely terrorists rather than any nation-state.
It didn't take a conspiracy nut to figure out that something didn't mesh with that explanation. What couldn't you blame on terrorists? Given the state of the world and the existence of the United Federation of Nations, no nation was going to name another as an aggressor. To do so would lead to two outcomes; you get stagnation as the assembly bickered over the evidence, and you get gridlock as the nature of a response was left indeterminable. What's more, given Britannia's past of blaming every manner of problem within its own borders on terrorism without a lot of detail or explanation… well, you could only get away with that line so many times.
Still, it wasn't impossible. The world after the Zero Requiem was not the idyllic peace that one would have hoped for. "Why does Britannia still exist?" and "why do we have to lose out?" were the competing cries.
Those in Britannia, or even in nations formerly under Britannia's thumb, even if not part of the nobility, managed to make out fairly well under that rule. Not being royalty, they had little if any of the responsibility for the decision-making and had little reason or desire to participate in the discrimination against others. They had gotten by just fine as they were, making a living in a nation whose strength kept the scourge of war and terrorism away from their doorsteps. It wasn't such that they condoned Britannia's actions in their entirety, but they were able to forgo thinking about it since they didn't have to. They didn't choose to be born into a nation like Britannia, and who would reasonably choose to leave a safe and comfortable life for one in another nation they'd likely live a much worse life and suffer most days? Justified or not, they weren't so ready to accept their comforts and expectations being snatched away to appease the world that lost to their nation at every turn.
Britannia surrendered a lot of territory after Nunnally's ascension. Most of the "Areas" were restored their names and independence. One of the few highlights of Britannia's conquest was the principle of self-governance of the Areas to the greatest extent possible. Born more out of a disinterest in actually governing these territories than any genuine care about ideal governance, it made the potential of transition from a Britannia colony back to an independent nation that much easier. Many places frankly already had a government in place and ready to go.
But other nations saw things a little differently. They thought Britannia was still getting off too easily for all the pain and destruction it caused around the world. They thought Britannia should have been fully dissolved, or at the very least broken apart much further.
Nunnally being empress was itself a compromise. She was ready from day one to abdicate the throne and install a democratic system in her place. Many pinned the problems of Britannia on the existence of the monarchy. The idea that a single family, corrupt as it may be, could be guaranteed the helm of a nation, except in the case someone more devious, greedy, ruthless, from within their own family, came along and eliminated them.
Some nations, particularly many in Asia and Europa who still held monarchies of their own, were tepid to place the blame on the institution, noting that any strong-arm leader could have done what Lelouch did, regardless of a democratic or a non-democratic regime.
In the end, the royalists won a partial victory. Nunnally is, without question, empress. However, her power as monarch was diminished. She now shares that power with the elected Assembly that has the power to override her will by a consensus of a substantial portion of their body, that exact threshold varying based on the nature of the decision being overturned. And the unspoken question remains what will happen in the future.
It was an extremely sensitive subject, and the few times anyone's tried to raise it has been shut down rather quickly, but the prospects of Nunnally marrying and having a child hadn't seemed particularly great. Given how few if any of the once prodigiously massive family was left alive, it wasn't at all out of the realm of possibility that Nunnally would die without an heir. If that were to happen, would plutocrats and oligarchs fight over claims of distant blood relations to make a bid for the throne, seek her to name them her heir before she passed? Or would the nation take the opportunity to fully transition to a democratic system? Some thought that Nunnally's initial offer to abdicate was her tacit assertion that she didn't plan on having an heir or naming a successor.
Cornelia did have a little one now, so it was clearly a possibility that the monarchy could continue through that niece, but one had to wonder if either Nunnally or Cornelia would agree to ever put her through that burden. The last thing they'd want would be for her to grow up feeling entitlement to that seat. The corruption of pursuit for a throne was a terrifying thing to behold.
As interesting as literal palace intrigue might be, the real issues at hand was the fact the palace was gone and no one seemed to precisely know who, how, or why. Cornelia had admitted early on that the terrorist story wasn't going to hold up if there wasn't meat put on the bones of that tale. You're a bold terrorist who just successfully launched a surprise attack within the Britannia capital, burning down the imperial castle and an entire base belonging to the world's security force, the Black Knights. The idea that you would go seven seconds, let alone seven days, without claiming responsibility hardly made any sense.
"Well, you could always tell them the truth. Not like anything less will be any less believable," Lloyd recommended in a disinterested manner.
"We'd look like fools saying something that stupid," Cornelia dismissed.
"Perhaps not. All we know is that a terrorist masquerading as Princess Euphemia showed up at the scene of the fire that destroyed the castle, while another masquerading as a schoolgirl was at the scene of the attack on the Order's base. Despite what Ku… I mean, what Zero saw, and what the empress saw, there's no way a single individual was responsible for the attacks, but we've got nothing on their accomplices. Well, it's not like these sorts of things are my specialty in the first place."
"I won't give some terrorist scum the satisfaction of in any way attaching my sister's name to this travesty," Cornelia bitterly stated.
"Well, let's move on to the facts of the case then, shall we?" he said, knowing it not the best idea in the world to argue with Cornelia over this.
"Let's. I believe you said there was an analysis of the damage caused in the attack?"
"Yes," Cecile began stoically. "They were able to complete some of the chemical analysis of both sites. The analysis is far less complete at the base due to the great many potential contaminants. However, at the castle, there are conflicting preliminary conclusions."
"In what way?" Cornelia asked.
"Based on damage observed and recorded, particularly the damage to the stonework of the outer walls and the steelwork of the inner support structures, the temperature of the fire had to have been in excess of 1100 centigrade. These temperatures should ordinarily only be possible in the confines of an industrial kiln, or in the natural geological processes of the earth's mantle. It certainly should not be possible in the absence of an accelerant. Yet there was no sign of any accelerant in any samples gathered."
"Didn't we get similar reports on the base?"
"Well, we did get some anecdotal reports from the first responders to the scene that there were Knightmares which appeared to have been melted through their arms or legs. But we believe the situation of these two incidents to be separate for the moment. There is a theoretical explanation for the damage seen to the Knightmares, but we are lacking such an explanation for the castle."
"You mean the plasma weapon theory we discussed before."
"There are experimental weapons that have been in development for some time that use energy-based substructures applied as a contained form… I suppose if you want the laymen's term for it, it would be an energy sword," Rakshata explained as she entered the room. "Or more precisely it would be a plasma blade. But, as I'm sure Cecile can explain, it is still mostly theoretical. We would know right away if an energy weapon like that was tested to cause this destruction."
"Well, yes. The issue with the concept of an energy blade weapon is the containment of the energy in a limited area. To achieve a useable structural area, there must be sufficient energy output of the weapon, at least equal to that of the float systems of an Avalon-class ship. Achieving containment in a restricted area is still not functionally possible. We need to use a magnetic field for containment, and we simply lack the ability to create a sufficiently durable, reliable or powerful enough one that can be also deployed as part of a weapon system, thus you will end up with a scattering of all of that energy."
"Is the float system so different an application?"
"Sad to say that's the case," Lloyd shrugged. "It took a lot of work to make a functional float system. Even that is mainly a static containment of energy to allow what is essentially gliding on solid wings. Even the system that allows it to discharge energy shots is nothing more than weakening select points in the containment field and allowing that energy to leak out."
"And if a system that could create one of these energy blades were created?"
Rakshata took a long draw of her pipe before answering. "It would certainly still be nothing more than a prototype and certainly equipped to a Knightmare. The passive and active defense systems of the capital would absolutely pick up the energy output of a Knightmare with the sort of powerplant necessary to support both a float system and such an energy weapon. Even assuming one were created, it could have certainly caused some of the damage to Knightmares at the Black Knights' base, but not the castle. To do the damage seen at the castle with a bladed weapon would have been far too involved for anyone to not notice a Knightmare holding a glowing object slowly cutting away at the castle. What's more, energy blades don't by themselves start fires."
"You're saying that even at temperatures that hot…"
"Well, it's not as though the castle was built without any consideration for its own defense. It was constructed to be far more blast resistant than the original, and that included crafting materials less prone to combustion. To put it simply, a scene such as the one described is not possible without the entire castle being doused in some chemical or exposed to even more extreme heat than the kilns used to create its bricks."
"It seems then that it's even more likely we have a traitor on the inside."
"Then it would seem we've arrived at a frame for a story. Unknown terrorists infiltrated the imperial castle and the Black Knights' base, with the aide of agents planted within, and carried out their attack. We'll have to glamour up the story a little, but it's got the outlines of something the people will buy,"
Ignoring Lloyd's quip, Cornelia moved on. "Do we have any leads on who might be responsible? Any nations or groups on the radar?"
"The Black Knights have an ongoing list of plausible terror threats with international reach, and as you know our own knights track all suspected threats to the homeland," Cecile began. "While they've come up with a number of possible state and non-state actors who would potentially have enough animosity to have done this, they haven't settled on the idea that any of them have the political will to begin a conflict with Britannia and the Black Knights at this time. It's possible that this is the reason no one has claimed responsibility as well, as they are looking to put off the inevitable reprisal that would ensue."
"It's less likely we're dealing with a nation-state," Cornelia mused, her already sour mood souring further. "Any nation mad enough to do something this brazen at the risk of incurring the UFN's anger wouldn't be afraid of proclaiming it. Furthermore, we'd likely have seen some evidence of movement by now if the mechanism of a nation was moving with the purpose of instigating a war.
"But, if not directly, I suspect there's likely some nation operating behind the scenes of whatever group is behind all this. No small terrorist group is going to have the finances and training for an operation like this unless they have someone backing them."
Cecile continued on, "The Imperial Knights and the Black Knights have been leaning in that direction too. It's currently the most logical assumption that a relatively small organization managed to secure backing from some nation with a grudge against both the Empire and the Black Knights, trained individuals who managed to infiltrate the castle's staff, possibly as part of the security, as well as the local Black Knights base, in order to carry out the attack. Background checks are being done again on all staff at both facilities to see if there is any overlap in terms of nation or origin, or time of employment, that would lead to any known threats."
"We'll have to make sure the search isn't narrowed too much. There's always the potential that someone we considered an ally has turned against us. It would certainly make for an easier time if our own negligence simply waved them through all our defenses."
It didn't take much digging through one's memory banks to realize what Cornelia was getting at. She stopped short of saying as much aloud, but this whole thing stunk of the very tactics Lelouch once used against Britannia. One could say a lesson can be over-learned, but he did topple the empire that way. The Black Knights were not now the organization they were if not for his tactics. It made sense that both the empire and the Black Knights were wary of someone else going that route in this situation. With just a little extra luck in timing, this attack could well have killed the empress.
Their conversation went on a time longer before a staff officer interrupted with a knock at the door. His knock seemed innocent enough, but his entire demeanor said he was some part confused and scared.
"Well, what is it?" Cornelia urged in the way she would.
"Your highness," the man began. "A disturbance was reported a few moments ago. It is at a location approximately 10 miles from the Pendragon Hall of Antiquities. The police are responding, but they have requested further guidance on how to respond to the scene."
"What incompetence… why would you concern us with a police matter?"
"The first officers responding said the incident began with a suspected attempted arson at the Hall of Antiquities. The suspect left the scene, and that has led to the current standoff. The suspect is described as a young woman in her mid-to-late teens, with long, pink, hair…"
The atmosphere darkened before the officer could finish. Cornelia rushed up from her seat and was making her way out of the room. "I want the scene completely locked down; keep the press away, and don't let any witnesses leave before we talk to them. Tell the 34th Dispatch Platoon to deploy to the scene to apprehend the target. They're to capture the suspect alive so we can get more information about their terror cell and other potential attacks. Where is the empress?"
"Her majesty should be in a meeting with the vice foreign minister of…" Cecile was answering, hurrying along to keep pace with Cornelia. Lloyd and Rakshata had fallen behind, not the types to ever "rush" anywhere.
"Good, don't bother her with this until we know for sure what's going on and we've put the matter under control."
"That may be difficult, your highness," Rakshata called, waving a tablet through the air.
The Pendragon Hall of Antiquities was a museum built after the reconstruction of the capital. Unlike many of the museums in the capital prior to the destruction caused by the FLEIJA, this one covered more than the glamorous zeal of Britannia's conquests. It held many artifacts and displays accounting the history of Britannia, far less whitewashed and glamorized. The dedication had declared that the Hall would be the "keeping place of the truth in both darkness and light, so that all future generations may know and learn."
Tours were conducted daily, today no different than any other. The tour was passing by the exhibit regarding the "Areas" policy era of the empire, from the conquest of Area 1, to the eventual demise and end of the entire Area policy. The exhibit credited the end of the policy to several things, among them being the alleged exploitation by Euphemia in her massacre, the utility of that same concept by Nunnally to subrogate the empire and allowed Lelouch to exploit for his plans, and naturally the reformation of the world following the end of Lelouch's life and reign.
The disturbance began when that exhibit caught fire. As people scrambled out to the sound of fire alarms and the shower of the sprinkler system, there was plenty of the pushing and shoving normally attested to such situations. In the panic, one person in particular, a woman wearing an oversized newsboy-style cap, was straggling along slower than the rest. When she was bumped into, her hat fell off, revealing a cascade of hair, a dull pink.
It took a moment for anyone to pay the woman any mind as she began working her way against the flow of the crowd, apparently choosing to pursue another exit. It took a few seconds longer before it dawned on any of those who saw her that she was the spitting image of the late Princess Euphemia.
Moments later, several people who saw her were outside talking to the security of the Hall, and the police who arrived on scene, made note of her, believing she was a lookalike employed by the Hall as part of an exhibit or show or some such thing. It was quickly apparent, however, that the Hall had no such employees, and moreover it made little sense for any lookalike to thereby cover up their appearance by wearing a disguise. Suspicion only increased of her given that she apparently fled the scene.
To say she "fled" was probably a little much. No one had seen her running, and she hadn't gotten very far from the scene when the police caught up to her. By now it was already in their minds that they were chasing a woman who looked like the late princess, but to see the woman standing on that side street, who looked everything like every image of the princess they'd ever seen in their lives, was equal parts enraging and enthralling.
Still, logic said this was some lookalike who at the moment was a potential suspect as the arsonist that started the fire at the exhibit. She left the scene, she was said to be nearest the spot when the fire was thought to have started, and that made her suspicious. What elevated the matter to one outside of standard police action was when they cornered her, asked her to come with them, and their car exploded into flames. She then threatened to burn them alive if they didn't let her go. Of course, not apt to believe a seemingly baseless threat like that, and now suspecting her of possibly having a concealed weapon, the incident escalated.
Not heeding her warning, the officers pressed to apprehend her. And then one of them was engulfed in flames. Shock and terror robbed them of their senses for a moment, but they soon rushed to their colleague's aide, while the woman merely walked away.
They weren't sure what they were dealing with, but the officers knew it wasn't normal criminals. Still, how do you put out an all points bulletin on a person who looks like the deceased princess? Someone was prudent enough, had enough wherewithal, to consider that it might have been better to at least alert the crown that they were about to do something that would certainly sound like bumbling cops making a mountain out of a relatively minor bit of criminal mischief. Surely that was all it was. Some petty criminal thought it would be a lark to dress up as the Massacre Princess and play around with some fireworks.
Except, a police car was being rendered a charred crumple on the ground, and a police officer suffered shock and severe burns over significant parts of his body, his colleagues suffering burns to their hands too in trying to put him out.
"Hold it right there!" another officer shouted, the woman turning to leave and instead coming face-to-face with another half dozen officers with guns drawn at her. "You've got three seconds to get down on the ground!" he shouted.
The woman didn't move. She looked at the officer with indignation, pressed her lips in frustration, and then said, "It would be better for the both of us if you would allow me to go."
"Get down on the ground, now!" a number of officers shouted, each taking an extra step forward.
"Do you recognize me?" she asked, undeterred.
A shot rang out as an officer quickly pointed his gun skyward and fired a single round. He then aimed his gun on the woman again. "Down on the ground! I'm not saying it again!" he ordered once more.
The area darkened, as if heavy clouds had moved across the sun's path. The officers, preoccupied as they were, took no real notice of it. A heavy gust beat down on them suddenly, like a storm had snuck up on them. A slightly shrill, somewhat raspy, roar reverberated as though someone set their loudspeaker to twelve on a scale of one to ten.
One of the officers let out a scream as he collapsed to the ground, staring up at the tops of the buildings. There were two, large, black figures perched atop the buildings. The figures, beasts one could only describe as dragons, looked to be surveying the ground below them.
Another officer, horrified and panicked, shouted out as he fired his gun at one of the beasts, emptying all ten rounds. The act served to only agitate the beast, causing it to call out again with its shrill voice. The other beast echoed the angry cry, moving from one building to another as if to encircle the humans below. The masonry of the buildings began to collapse under the weight. Inside, the screams of scared and confused people could be heard as they panicked over the commotion. A few braver souls poked heir heads out the window to see what was going on. They retreated soon enough.
One of the beasts attempted to make its way to the ground, scraping grooves into the buildings as it went, and crushing cans and one police car in its way. It looked towards the officers and opened its mouth, as if to prepare to breath down hot death on them. But as it did, it seemed to have caught a glimpse of the woman. It snapped its jaws shut, snorting like an angry bull.
The officers were separated from their vehicles, meaning they couldn't radio for anything, let alone help. They didn't have any option but to huddle together, desperate in trying to figure out a way to survive this.
The woman didn't appear to be so daunted. She walked over to the beast and placed her hand on its body. What was a bucking bronco, ready to go, turned into just a docile puppy. She looked up at the other beast. It beat its wings, lifted itself skyward, and took flight away from the rooftops.
"Would you kindly tell my sisters that I can't give them much time? I have things I need to accomplish, and I can't afford to stop."
The beast lowered its head closer to the ground. She climbed atop its head, grabbing hold of the row of spines down its back. The black beast rose itself back up, barked a small cry at the officers, and began to beat its wings. It gained a little lift and took off in the same direction as the first beast.
A news crew on its way to cover the fire at the museum came upon the initial scene of the police cornering a suspect. They began filming the standoff between the police and the woman who looked an awful lot like the late princess Euphemia. They also got the image of the black beasts descending on the area, and their subsequent departure. Those images were broadcast all over television in Britannia, and surely most parts of the world paying enough attention. Undoubtedly the whole world knew within hours that in Britannia, which was in the midst of a spate of brazen and catastrophic terrorist attacks, there was someone in the guise of a deceased princess and running about on the backs of what appeared to be dragons.